This invention relates to a system for installing and allowing easy maintenance or removal of electronic modules on a mobile vehicle. The device or system is intended to consolidate or standardize the mounting locations of several different electronic control units for various systems on a modern motor vehicle such as a heavy-duty truck or tractor. This device will allow for bench assembly of the electronic control units, with a single point of installation on the vehicle, thus effectively removing labor from main assembly lines to feed lines and shortening vehicle assembly time. It will also allow for a common mounting point for electronic control units. Further, it will provide a standard point within the vehicle to design wire harnesses to and thus eliminate much unnecessary engineering time during design and redesign stages. Additionally, it will remove the modules commonly mounted in storage areas to normally less accessible areas in order to enhance storage space on a day-to-day basis.
Electronic modules are common if not essential on modern mobile motor vehicles. Multiple electronic modules installed on a vehicle, each with various functions, is the most common scenario. These modules are located on electronic cards and slipped into permanent locations, many times fastened by conventional fasteners. The state of the art has not reached the stage where these modules have infinite life or at least reach the life of the vehicle. As a result, maintenance workers have to be able to access the modules, electronic control units, or module cards relatively easily for testing, removal, and replacement. Vehicle designers have had to locate these modules in slots that are conveniently located near access points on the vehicle else hear the wrath of vehicle maintenance personnel. The various modules are located wherever space is available in the vehicle. These modules commonly take up a lot of xe2x80x9cstoragexe2x80x9d space, which is in short supply on the vehicle and very valuable to drivers. The permanent mounting in the prior art in areas designed for driver convenience is a large disadvantage, hence the requirement for this xe2x80x9cstowablexe2x80x9d rack. Additionally, there is no common mounting point. Such access point or hatch locations are in short supply on modern vehicles. Other devices also are needed to be close to the access points or hatches. A vehicle mounting device or system is needed such that electronic controllers may be easily accessed without having to necessarily have a permanent location relatively close to an access hatch.
The modular electronic control unit mounting device, mounting system and vehicle of this invention satisfies the objective of this invention as follows. The device consists of three essential parts, excluding the electronic control units or modules themselves. These are a mounting rack, a carriage, and a set of rails. The first part is the mounting rack upon which all the electronic modules are mounted. This is a common mounting point for modules, related or unrelated functionally for the vehicle. The rack mates with the carriage through a set of slides. The carriage is additionally mated with a pair of rails that are installed on a horizontal surface of the vehicle. The electronic modules or control units are engaged to the rack separate from the vehicle. The rack is engaged by slidably mating with the carriage. The carriage may be moved along the rails to its permanent location that does not need to be relatively near an access point or hatch of the vehicle. The carriage may be locked into this position. This is facilitated through a rack mounted harness that is connectable to a section of the main vehicle electrical harness. This section of the main harness is intended to articulate the length of the slides, and is secured with adequate strain relief. The primary advantages to this unit are include: (1) improved, consolidated, and common mounting points for vehicle electronic control modules; (2) easy assembly and maintenance upon the modules; (3) easy access to the unit for troubleshooting; (4) reclaimed storage space that was formerly taken over by electronic control modules in inconvenient locations, while non-accessible space was wasted elsewhere in the vehicle; and (5) an improved method of mounting various electronic control units to the vehicle.